Patrick Love Photography » Travel Photography

Near Tangalle are several large temples.  They are worth a look, if you have time.

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You should go to Tangalle!  Stay at Coco Tangalla (link).  If I remember, the chef worked in a 5-star hotel in Dubai, then some resort in the Maldives, now here.  They bring in fresh food every day, and make it just for you.  They love it, if you ask for a complimentary cooking lesson.  If you get bored, they’ll call a guy with a scooter to take you to the local sights. 

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Galle’s Portuguese/British/Dutch fort is the first place in Asia where I thought to myself, “I could buy a house and retire here.”  It has an boutique, not-to-touristy feel.  Wonderful cafes and restaurants can be found hidden throughout its narrow lanes.  The octagonal shaped fort sits on a bit of a peninsula, and offers nice views on all sides.

We stayed at the Seagreen Guesthouse, which I highly recommend.  You’ll never forget the breakfasts there. (below) I had to confront my fears and come within just feet of one of the worlds most notorious snakes. (below) Train stations still use the original hand-painted time tables.  As a diver, it really saddens me when people kill sharks, especially baby hammerheads. 

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“Trinco” is still waking up from the 2007 finish of the Sri Lankan civil war, and widespread damage caused by a tsunami in 2004.  Many people feel that the current government cares little for people living in the North, and lack of infrastructure and commercial development keeps development back.  Recently, Prince Charles visited Sri Lanka (link), and raised awareness of the plight of the Tamils.  On the other hand, this gives the NE part of the island an off-the-beaten-track feel.

We stayed at the Palm Beach Resort(link) just north of Trinco’s harbor.  If I was to return, it would be the only place I would consider.  Italian owners, Luca and Dona, run the best hotel on Sri Lanka’s east coast.  On top of that, they have the best Italian restaurant in Sri Lanka.  (below) Cashew fruit grows on trees found only in Sri Lanka.  When you slice it, and dip it in salt water (seen below) is does taste like a cashew nut.

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Polonnaruwa was the capital of Sri Lanka in the 12th century.  After invaders from India toppled the kingdom, some semi-interesting ruins were left behind.  This is also a main stop for tour buses and school children.  I thought it was somewhat interesting, but kind of… meh. Rising six hundred feet above the surrounding plains, Sigiriya is one of the cultural highlight of Sri Lanka.  This medieval capital tells the story of a king who was ironically afraid of heights, and loved women.  The Sigiriya Damsels are the most famous collection of paintings in Sri Lanka.  They were painted in the 5th century, making them the oldest non-religious paintings to survive in Sri Lanka. 

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Trains provide some of the best views of Sri Lanka’s hill country. One of the engineers asked if I would like to ride up front for a bit.  I said yes.  If you drink tea, these are the people who pluck the tea leaves.  They are known as tea pluckers.  One of the highlights of my time in Sri Lanka was returning on several occasions and getting to interact with a group of women who work the hillsides.  We learned about the hours they work, how much weight they have to pick, how many bags they fill, when they take breaks, how much they are paid, and where their families live.  It’s experiences like this that inspire me to get out on the road over and over again.  The ability to gain an intimate knowledge of the lives or people I would otherwise never meet is, simply put, a pleasure.

They told Anne that I was a very good man!  I think that’s something to be proud of.

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Colombo was our entry/exit point into Sri Lanka.  Our best friend, David, selected the Lake Lodge, which was an excellent choice.  I would love to stay there again.  Anne’s can’t-miss shopping destination was Paradise Road.

(below) Anne and David From Columbo, we drove to Kandy.  Kandy is located high in the mountains above Colombo.  On our way, we passed by several elephant orphanages.  In our guidebook, we read that the elephants are generally mistreated, and that visitors are constantly hassled for more and more “tips” to get more access to the elephants.  I’ve seen some amazing photos taken at these places, in hindsight I wish we would have given one of them a chance.

Kandy is Sri Lanka’s capital of culture.  Here, we watched and kind-of boring cultural show, and visited Sri Lanka’s most important temple which houses one of Buddha’s teeth.

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